OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s tennis (5-4, 0-0 SEC) rolls into SEC play as the Rebels play host to the No. 31 Auburn Tigers (7-4, 0-0 SEC) on Friday at 3 p.m. CT for the first home outdoor match of the year at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Rebels will then have a quick turnaround and face Tulsa (3-7, 0-0 AAC) and Eastern Illinois (1-10, 0-0 OVC) in a doubleheader on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT, respectively.
Live scoring and live video for all three matches will be available to the public. Links to both can be found above as well as on the Ole Miss men’s tennis schedule page.
Rolling into SEC Play
The Rebels’ match against Auburn on Friday marks the first of 12 conference matchups for the squad in 2024, with six of those fixtures set to be played in Oxford. Following the team’s non-conference finale on Sunday against Eastern Illinois, the Rebels will hit the road to Baton Rouge and College Station before returning home March 15 to host Arkansas and then Vanderbilt on March 17. This will then open up a three-match road spell for the team before the Rebels return to Oxford for three straight home matches, ending with Senior Day on April 7 against Tennessee. The Rebels will then wrap up their regular season with a difficult road matchup against Alabama before heading into postseason play.
Doubles Dominance
The Rebels continue to showcase an impressive start in each of their matches, earning the doubles point in eight of Ole Miss’ first nine matches of the spring season. The doubles success is led by the senior duo of Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt who have gone undefeated in every matchup, currently holding a 7-0 record as a pair. The tandem of John Hallquist Lithen and Carson Baker have also strung together an impressive record, going 7-1 primarily in the No. 3 slot.
Team Profile: Auburn
The 31st ranked Auburn Tigers (7-4, 0-0 SEC) travel to Oxford coming off a 1-2 performance at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The Tigers defeated Middle Tennessee before dropping consecutive matches to Michigan State and Alabama, both who are ranked in the ITA top 25. The Tiger roster is led by graduate senior Tyler Stice who is ranked 44th in singles in the most recent ITA standings. Stice holds a 6-3 record in singles on the year, primarily playing on court one.
Team Profile: Tulsa
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-7, 0-0 AAC) come into Oxford looking for their first road win of the year. They will travel to Tulane on March 1, before facing off against the Rebels two days later on March 3. The Golden Hurricanes are led by the doubles tandem of Pierce Rollins and Timothy Carlsson Seger, who currently sit ranked at No. 55 in the latest rankings. The pair is 7-3 so far on the year, and 2-1 in dual matchups on the primary court.
Team Profile: Eastern Illinois
The Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-10, 0-0 OVC) enters the clash with the Rebels after facing some tough opponents including No. 2 Ohio State. The Panthers will kick off their weekend competing against Illinois, March 1 before coming down south to Oxford. Eastern Illinois is led by the duo of Pau Riera and Thomas Wallace who have strung together a 4-6 record as a pair and are perfect on court two.
Team Promotion: Tennis Ball Toss/Rebel Rewards Prize Pickup
Fans that attend Friday’s Auburn match will be given the opportunity to compete in the tennis ball toss for a chance to win a year’s supply of Buffalo Wild Wings. Sunday’s matches will serve to be a Rebel Rewards pickup day, including a chance to earn double Rebel Rewards points.
Follow the Rebels on Social
For more information on Ole Miss Men’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
Live scoring and live video for all three matches will be available to the public. Links to both can be found above as well as on the Ole Miss men’s tennis schedule page.
Rolling into SEC Play
The Rebels’ match against Auburn on Friday marks the first of 12 conference matchups for the squad in 2024, with six of those fixtures set to be played in Oxford. Following the team’s non-conference finale on Sunday against Eastern Illinois, the Rebels will hit the road to Baton Rouge and College Station before returning home March 15 to host Arkansas and then Vanderbilt on March 17. This will then open up a three-match road spell for the team before the Rebels return to Oxford for three straight home matches, ending with Senior Day on April 7 against Tennessee. The Rebels will then wrap up their regular season with a difficult road matchup against Alabama before heading into postseason play.
Doubles Dominance
The Rebels continue to showcase an impressive start in each of their matches, earning the doubles point in eight of Ole Miss’ first nine matches of the spring season. The doubles success is led by the senior duo of Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt who have gone undefeated in every matchup, currently holding a 7-0 record as a pair. The tandem of John Hallquist Lithen and Carson Baker have also strung together an impressive record, going 7-1 primarily in the No. 3 slot.
Team Profile: Auburn
The 31st ranked Auburn Tigers (7-4, 0-0 SEC) travel to Oxford coming off a 1-2 performance at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The Tigers defeated Middle Tennessee before dropping consecutive matches to Michigan State and Alabama, both who are ranked in the ITA top 25. The Tiger roster is led by graduate senior Tyler Stice who is ranked 44th in singles in the most recent ITA standings. Stice holds a 6-3 record in singles on the year, primarily playing on court one.
Team Profile: Tulsa
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-7, 0-0 AAC) come into Oxford looking for their first road win of the year. They will travel to Tulane on March 1, before facing off against the Rebels two days later on March 3. The Golden Hurricanes are led by the doubles tandem of Pierce Rollins and Timothy Carlsson Seger, who currently sit ranked at No. 55 in the latest rankings. The pair is 7-3 so far on the year, and 2-1 in dual matchups on the primary court.
Team Profile: Eastern Illinois
The Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-10, 0-0 OVC) enters the clash with the Rebels after facing some tough opponents including No. 2 Ohio State. The Panthers will kick off their weekend competing against Illinois, March 1 before coming down south to Oxford. Eastern Illinois is led by the duo of Pau Riera and Thomas Wallace who have strung together a 4-6 record as a pair and are perfect on court two.
Team Promotion: Tennis Ball Toss/Rebel Rewards Prize Pickup
Fans that attend Friday’s Auburn match will be given the opportunity to compete in the tennis ball toss for a chance to win a year’s supply of Buffalo Wild Wings. Sunday’s matches will serve to be a Rebel Rewards pickup day, including a chance to earn double Rebel Rewards points.
Follow the Rebels on Social
For more information on Ole Miss Men’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.